


Fired Up

by InkstainedGwyn



Category: Persona 4
Genre: AU, Artist AU, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, and they fall in love, souji is a sculptor, yosuke is an anthropologist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2018-12-30 02:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12098259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkstainedGwyn/pseuds/InkstainedGwyn
Summary: Yosuke is an anthropologist, and Souji is a sculptor whose specialties just so happen to coincide with the brunette's latest research. Will their scholarly association become something more as they get to know one another? (Follow-up fluff chapter added 1/10/18.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ammosart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ammosart/gifts).



> This story is based off a prompt (that ran away from me). Another fluffy AU without too much drama. Sorry it's been so long since I updated!
> 
> Love and thanks to my beta reader. ❤
> 
> As always, here's my [tumblr](http://ohlookashinysquirrel.tumblr.com/) if you want to talk to me or read some of my fluffy snips that aren't posted here.

_Mr. Hanamura,_

_Thank you for reaching out to me. I would be more than happy to meet with you to discuss pottery; I am sure that you know already, but the merging of Chinese and Japanese elements is one of my specialties, and so I look forward to a hearty discussion on the topic. I will be in Tokyo from the xxth to the xxth for an exhibition of my work at the Met; I will leave tickets at the entrance for you and a guest, should you wish to bring one. I should be on-hand most days, barring a few appointments in the afternoons. We can make plans from there, if that sounds amenable._

_Yours,_

_Souji Seta_

Pumping his fist in a victory gesture, Yosuke looked again at the email he’d just received on his phone. On the monitor in front of him, the cursor blinked slowly on a page that seemed to be nothing but links and sources; his work on this newest paper had been very slow-going, as it felt like everything he found was something already cited in enough articles that he was beginning to wonder if he should give the topic up and pick another. It was disappointing, too; after his piece on fabrics had gotten enough interest to be added to an actual reference book, he’d hoped to follow it up with another piece, this time about pottery, and eventually amass enough topics that he could release a reference book of his own. He’d always dreamed of seeing his name on the cover of a book; it wasn’t as important to him as the actual research, of course, but it was a nice daydream. 

Clearly, to move this forward, he needed new sources, and so he turned to the pottery masters of Kyushu, most notably those in Saga. One in particular caught his eye; Souji Seta wasn’t much older than Yosuke, but he was apparently already a certified master craftsman, and he’d made a name for himself amongst pottery and art circles for having perfected the classic Nabeshima practices, blending Chinese style and glazing with traditional Japanese patterns and artwork. Seta was also known for unique sculptures he’d make in between his traditional offerings, pieces that blended the historic and the modern, and - oh, serendipity! - he was scheduled to have an exhibition in Tokyo later that month, so it would be the perfect time for Yosuke to try to meet him. 

And so, he sent an email to the sculptor, hoping that Seta wasn’t one of those eccentric artists; judging by the email he’d received back, things were going well. All he had to do was wait another week - and as he didn’t want to appear _too_ uninformed in front of his (hopefully) new source, he had plenty of reading to do in that time. 

* * *

_This piece should be more front-and-centre, I think. And the ones along the right wall should have a smidge less lighting; the glare behind the cases makes it difficult to see. I wonder if that researcher is going to show up? Yosuke Hanamura._

As Souji - dressed in his best kimono for opening night (he’d rather be wearing a suit, but certain situations required certain sacrifices and most people expected traditional craftsmen to wear traditional outfits) - walked over to discuss display changes with the curator, he thought about the email he’d received. It wasn’t a commonplace thing; traditional art such as his garnered _some_ attention - and his more than others, given that he brought something new to the practice - but it was nothing in the modern world of designer clothing, massive art installations, idols, and politicians. Not that Souji minded - he wasn’t really a social butterfly, even if he was gratified to find himself admired in the art world, as well as his own field - but he was also intrigued that someone would come to _him_ to talk about such a subject. 

He wondered what kind of person this Yosuke Hanamura was. He’d found two of the man’s articles, one about fabric and one about music - both surprisingly detailed - but otherwise he hadn’t seemed to have published much, or at least much that Souji could find in a twenty-minute internet search (he hadn’t wanted to leave the guy hanging for too long.) Still, his articles were interesting and well-written, and Souji hadn’t seen any harm in agreeing to meet. 

A few hours into the evening, Souji was wrapping up a discussion with a few of the museum’s patrons when a well-dressed young man about his own age, with brunette hair and honey-coloured eyes, stepped into the exhibit, looking around with an air of interest. Souji watched him for a moment before starting to turn away to look over the rest of the crowd; when he did, he realised that the brunette’s face had lit up, and he was hurrying in Souji’s direction. 

Bracing himself for yet another sales pitch by some earnest young go-getter that just _had_ to have Souji’s work for his Next Big Profit-making Scheme, or to decorate the new bar he was willing to _swear_ was going to make All the Money, think of the exposure!, Souji plastered a professional smile onto his face before preparing to greet the brunette. He wasn’t surprised when the man stopped in front of him, smile wide (it really was _blinding_ ), and held out a hand; he _was_ surprised when, as Souji calmly and professionally greeted him, the words, “Mr. Seta! I’m Yosuke Hanamura, it’s good to meet you in person!” tumbled out of the brunette’s mouth.

Blinking, Souji took a better look. He’d had _no_ idea the researcher was going to be so young! He couldn’t be much older than Souji, if at all; suddenly the fact that he _only_ had two articles (that Souji could find) published shifted to an _already_ , and Souji found himself feeling impressed. There was no way he hadn’t had his Master’s degree before publishing, which only left a handful of years for him to have gotten what amounted to a relatively good amount of exposure, especially considering the subject matter. Unable to completely hide the surprise - (and pleasure, as Yosuke Hanamura was quite an attractive young man with a thousand-watt smile, even if Souji wasn’t going to shout the fact from the rooftops) - on his face, he shook Yosuke’s hand much more warmly than he’d been anticipating when first approached. 

“Hello, Mr. Hanamura. I’m glad you could make it; I wasn’t sure if you’d come on the first night, or wait.” He looked around, but it seemed that the brunette was alone. “No guest? I suppose this isn’t the sort of place for a trendy date.”

An odd expression that seemed almost sad flickered quickly across the researcher’s face, but it was gone in a flash, and he shook his head. “Nah, there’s nobody to bring. I mean, I’d hope anybody I dated would enjoy this sort of thing, since _I_ do, and it’s nice to share interests. Besides, this is work, even if it’s pleasant work, and I wouldn’t want to seem lax, especially not the first time we met. Please, call me Yosuke.”

“I will, if you’ll call me Souji.” The two smiled at one another, and it felt natural and comfortable; with a lot more enthusiasm than he’d previously expected to have, Souji showed Yosuke around the exhibit. It was clear almost from the get-go that the researcher had done his homework - as to be expected from someone who’d published such thorough papers already - and they had quite a pleasant conversation about glazes and colour as they strolled through the platforms and pillars that dotted the room. Yosuke even stopped at several of Souji’s personal “statement” pieces, taking his time to study them, and for the first time in a long time, Souji found himself wondering what someone else thought about his art.

Once the tour was over, Souji took Yosuke into the back, to the small room he was using as an office for the duration of the exhibit; the two exchanged business cards and chatted a little bit about time and the weather before Yosuke brought up - with what Souji would have sworn was some small amount of nervousness - the idea of meeting again, to talk more in-depth.

Souji had honestly been getting ready to suggest it himself. He’d found Yosuke to be a very pleasant conversationalist, and he knew more than enough about the topics they’d discussed to make the time pass very enjoyably. “I’d love that, actually. I’m not very familiar with Tokyo, though - where do you think would be good?”

The light relief on the brunette’s face told Souji that he’d been right about the nervousness, and he found himself smiling as he waited for a response. Yosuke looked thoughtful for a moment, then pulled out his phone to do a quick search. When he held it out, Souji saw the name of what looked like a quiet and comfortable cafe on the screen.

“Coffee? When do you think you’d have time? Most of my days are research, although I have some side columns and articles I have to write to fill space and keep something in my bank account. Those I can do any time, though.”

He really could have picked any day - he wasn’t required to be at his exhibit nonstop, daytime was usually less than busy, and he already had a few appointments lined up - but he found himself suggesting “Tomorrow afternoon?” before he really thought much about it. What could he say? He enjoyed Yosuke’s company. It had been a long time since he’d had such stimulating conversation; his fellow artisans usually espoused The Way and never looked beyond knowing what it was, why it was, and how - and besides, there was something nice about talking to someone his own age. He wasn’t the only one in his age range in his profession, but a majority of them were far older than he.

When he suggested the next day, he couldn’t help noticing how Yosuke’s face lit up. It was more than likely because he was interested in getting information for his research, but it was still… nice. 

“Tomorrow sounds great! You said afternoon is better for you, so how about three?”

Going quickly over his schedule, Souji gave a satisfied nod. “Three is perfect. What’s the cafe’s name again?” Once he’d noted it down in his phone, he nodded to the brunette. “I should get back to the exhibit - it _is_ opening night - but please, Yosuke. Feel free to explore, and if you wish to use that second ticket to come back another time, be welcome.”

Yosuke grinned at him, and after they said their farewells, the two parted; Souji found himself very much looking forward to the next day.

* * *

On the walk from the museum back to Ueno station, Yosuke found himself remembering Souji’s earlier comment of “this isn’t the sort of place for a trendy date.” He thought about Saki Konishi, his fellow teaching assistant that he’d dated for a bit in back grad school, who would have loved Souji’s exhibit. But Saki left after graduating, on a quest for “new things to see and do, without having to deal with boring teaching,” and he hadn’t heard from her since. She’d been good to him; it was an amicable split, but he missed her sometimes, even if he knew that it was just loneliness, and that he’d been over her for a while. 

This time, however, he found himself thinking about Saki with less melancholy than usual, and his thoughts turned back to Souji Seta. Not only had the guy been as charming and more than Yosuke had expected, but he was a lot of fun to talk to. Add that to the fact that he was _really_ good-looking - like, attractive enough that Yosuke probably would have tried to figure out some stupid pickup lines if he’d seen him in a coffee shop or bar or on the subway - and the brunette was _really_ looking forward to the next afternoon.

Once home, he fired off an email to his editor - the guy liked constant updates, and Yosuke couldn’t really blame him - spent a little more time than he would have been willing to admit picking out an outfit for the next day, and eventually went to bed. If a pair of silver eyes featured heavily in his dreams, they made for an enjoyable sleep, even if he didn’t remember those dreams when he woke up.

Unfortunately, three-fifteen the next afternoon found him rushing from the nearest subway station to the cafe where he and Souji had agreed to meet, all the while cursing his aforementioned editor. Stopping at the counter to catch his breath, he looked around, hoping that Souji hadn’t already given up and left; he was relieved to see the sculptor (wearing a blue jacket and black turtleneck that were an amazing contrast to his striking silver hair and eyes) sitting in a table in the back, sipping a drink and reading an ebook. Souji looked up at him, catching his eyes with a _really_ nice smile on his face, and Yosuke hurried over. Before Souji could say anything, however, Yosuke put his hand to his chest, bowing.

“I’m so sorry I’m late! My editor called me in for a meeting and he just wouldn’t shut up, and-”

He was stopped by a chuckle, and when he looked up he saw that Souji was still smiling, and the smile was just as warm as the chuckle. “It’s okay, Yosuke. It’s not that late; I figured something might have come up. Please, relax, get a drink, settle in. I got the matcha latte; it’s really good.”

 _This guy is way too nice. God, I got lucky picking him to talk to._ He wasn’t out of the woods yet, however, and he nodded, but clenched one hand, lightly, out of the way so as not to be too noticeable. 

“Well, there’s one other thing. When Iwami heard that I got ahold of you, he _really_ wanted me to do an interview. Like, not for the history that I wanted to pick your brain about, but an actual interview for the magazine. Forgive me, I tried to tell him that wasn’t in the scope of what i contacted you about, but he insisted I at least ask.” 

Souji did look a little surprised by this, and thoughtful, but as Yosuke held his breath - praying that his over-eager editor hadn’t ruined his chances - _for information! Of course! Of course I’m not thinking about anything beyond that!_ \- he smiled, turning his gaze back to the brunette. “I don’t mind, Yosuke. It’s the kind of publication I don’t mind being featured in, and if it will help you I’m glad. You did say that these articles were side work, after all.”

Closing his eyes for a brief moment of relief, Yosuke found himself grinning when he looked back at Souji. “Thanks, man. You’re a lifesaver. I really didn’t want to seem like I was trying to take advantage just because you were nice enough to give me some of your time.”

“It’s really okay.” Souji nodded. “Go make your order and we’ll get down to it. I assume that this interview is more pressing, so we should see to it first?”

“Yeah.” Yosuke grimaced. He’d been hoping to actually get to the meat of his topic today, but it looked like it would have to wait. At least he’d get a chance to learn a bit more about Souji with it.

“Then let’s do that today. I’m here for the rest of the week, after all; that’s plenty of time for us to meet a few more times to cover the topics you wanted to talk about.

“That sounds great!”

Yosuke hurried back up to the front, ordering a caramel mocha latte and trying not to keep looking (inconspicuously, of course) at Souji, who was reading his ebook again. He caught himself thinking _date_ , but quickly pushed that out of his mind. _Of course it’s not a date! It’s an interview, and a meeting! If it was a date I’d be a lot more nervous right now._

Carrying his drink and a plate of lemon madeleines back to the table, he tried not to stare too hard at Souji’s warm smile as he sat down, dropping his messenger bag across the back of his seat after taking out his notepad. Obviously he typed all of his articles, but he found it a lot easier to handwrite his notes, especially when he was talking to someone in person. Seeing Souji put aside his ebook reader, the researcher looked back up. 

“Whatcha reading?”

“Six Four.” Souji switched off the reader. “I saw the movie a few months ago and I really enjoyed it - I love mysteries.”

It wasn’t something that Yosuke would have expected, to be honest - but at the same time, he knew that people weren’t stereotypes; he’d met traditional musicians who enjoyed American heavy metal, a gourmet chef who went home at night to watch pro wrestling and drink cheap red wine, and no one, in his experience, ever fully matched the outside image that they projected. At the same time, it was a nice feeling that Souji didn’t mind opening up and sharing the non-image side of himself, even if he didn’t necessarily try to keep it hidden normally.

Not wanting to waste time - it was already unexpectedly lucky that Souji was willing to give him so much of it - Yosuke started in on the interview. It was mostly the standard questions - when did you start, why did you start, what do you enjoy most about it - and for the most part, Souji’s answers were also standard. His family had been crafters, he’d learned young, and he really enjoyed the act of creation, the feel of clay beneath his fingertips.

What wasn’t standard was the quiet passion with which he talked about his work. Yosuke had already had a taste of it when Souji had shown him around his exhibit, but it was stronger now, and Yosuke got the distinct impression that the sculptor was warming up to him - a fact that he tried not to let go to his head. And Souji wasn’t the first person he’d met who was passionate about his work, but there was something about it that was very charming...

...as were Souji’s hands. As he spoke, Yosuke found that the sculptor gestured; he wondered if this was part of being a crafter, being someone who created, and when they didn’t have their medium in front of them, worked instead with words and motion. He found himself wondering what it would be like to watch Souji sculpt; the thought was intriguing, enough so that he actually had to ask his companion to repeat himself, under the guise of getting caught up in his notes. 

There was no way, of course, that he’d been busy thinking about what _else_ those hands might be good at. _Bad thoughts, Yosuke! Bad thoughts!_

* * *

While he hadn’t expected to be interviewed, Souji still had a good time at the cafe with Yosuke. Even if it was clear that the brunette would have rather have gotten down to business, to talk about the original topics he’d emailed about, he conducted the interview with a fair amount of enthusiasm, and Souji found himself opening up more, perhaps, than he’d planned to - although it wasn’t like he had any secrets to worry about spilling. He’d just always been relatively restrained when it came to talking about himself; with Yosuke, however, he found that he _wanted_ to talk… if he had to define it, it was almost as if he wanted to brag. While that wasn’t a _completely_ alien desire, it wasn’t something Souji felt frequently, and he found himself wanting to know more about the brunette as well, although the interview - of course - was about him, and not the other way around. 

_A pity_. It was this thought that led Souji to think hard about their next meeting and what would work best, would give them the most amount of time. After some research online, he found what he was looking for; the reviews seemed adequate, so he sent Yosuke a text.

> It’s Souji. Would dinner work? I can cut out of the exhibit early tomorrow, say nine? That should give us several hours to talk before closing.

While he fully expected the researcher to agree, he didn’t expect to receive a response almost before he had his phone back in his pocket. Reading over it, he found himself smiling; he didn’t know Yosuke Hanamura _that_ well yet, but he could already tell that it was characteristic of the brunette, who was bright, and open, and fun.

> HEY! Glad to know I didn’t cheese you off yesterday. Dinner sounds GREAT, where? What’s the dress code? Skipping a day is probably a good idea, I

> gotta write this article, get it approved. I’ll have a copy for you to check out tomorrow, ofc I’ll make any changes you want. Can’t wait!

It was at that moment that Souji realised he hadn’t actually asked Yosuke what _he_ wanted to eat - or whether he had any dietary restrictions - and he sent his next text with some trepidation. 

> I’m sorry, I realised I never asked about your food preferences. How does Italian sound? I was thinking [restaurant].

Yosuke’s response was, again, quick.

> Hey, don’t worry, dude. I’ll eat anything, but Italian sounds great! Hope they have good lasagna. Hmm, looks kinda fancy. Nice! Work’ll pick up t

> he tab, how nice is that? See you tomorrow @ 9! Can’t wait!

Souji couldn’t help smile at this; he noted the repeated “Can’t wait!” and while it _could_ have been a stock phrase to fake a feeling of excitement, the brunette really didn’t seem the type. Slipping his phone into his pocket before going to get ready for that day’s exhibit, Souji found himself hoping that Yosuke really _did_ mean it, enough to text it twice.

* * *

When he stepped into the restaurant the next evening, Yosuke wasn’t there yet; it wasn’t a surprise, however, since Souji’s wont was to arrive early to everything - a habit he’d had since he was young. He had to wait a few minutes for the table he’d reserved to open up - he’d asked for one out of the way so that they could talk as in-depth as they wanted without having to worry about distracting too many people at other tables - and the server was just picking up menus to lead him back to the table he’d reserved when the door opened and Yosuke walked in.

He looked _good_. Even if Souji was being objective - and he knew by this point that he was at least a little smitten with the brunette - he would have admitted that fact. Yosuke was dressed in a pair of nice jeans, with a dark brown blazer over a brownish-orange sweater, out from which peeked a white collared shirt and brown tie. The only thing he needed to complete the “handsome college professor” look was a pair of glasses, and if he’d had those Souji might not have been able to keep his interest from showing on his face. Shaking his head for a moment to clear it of the mental image he _didn’t_ need (and would probably revisit later), he noticed that Yosuke seemed to be staring at him, too. When their gazes met, the brunette’s eyes widened a little, and he looked away - and Souji would swear that he was blushing, just a bit.

“Oh, no kimono this time? Though I guess a suit’s better for an Italian place.” He was still looking away, and while his words made it sound like he was disappointed, his tone and expression said anything but. 

_I think this is going to be a very good night._

Chuckling, Souji shook his head as they followed the waiter to their table, in a back corner near a window. Yosuke seemed to have regathered most of his wits, as he was smiling again with his usual bright grin; Souji was glad of it, because the expression suited the brunette. “I prefer something like this, to be honest. I don’t mind traditional clothes, but for the most part it’s just for the image - it’s what people expect, you know?”

“I guess so, since it seems like I expected it. Oh man, I should have made a “suited” pun.” Yosuke laughed, and Souji was glad that whatever atmosphere was between them didn’t seem to be strained or uncomfortable.

They took their time going over the menu, discussing the various offerings before ordering; once that was out of the way, it was finally time for the historical discussion, the whole reason the two of them had started to correspond. Yosuke knew nothing about pottery, really, beyond the basic history and the sorts of things that an informed consumer would know; this gave Souji a very good starting place, since he didn’t have to explain minutiae that didn’t really have anything to do with Yosuke’s area of interest. 

Although the brunette didn’t know much about pottery, however, it was clear that he _did_ know a lot about Chinese influence on Japan (and vice versa) - not that Souji would have doubted it, having read some of Yosuke’s other works. This gave the researcher a good perspective and several very interesting viewpoints when they got into the real nitty-gritty of the subject; these, in-turn, highlighted some patterns that Souji honestly would never have noticed before, and by the time they’d both finished their meals, both men had more than enough new theories and information to think about. 

As the evening wound down, Souji idly ran his finger around the rim of his stemware. They’d both had a glass of wine - the meal was so good that it practically demanded it - but they’d also both stopped at one. For Souji’s part, this was both to make sure it didn’t affect him the next morning, and to make sure he didn’t act too unprofessional around Yosuke. 

He didn’t regret it; as attractive as the brunette was, Souji was enjoying the chance to get to know him a little better more than anything else. And now that they’d finished talking history - at least for the moment - and neither of them seemed ready to go, the sculptor turned the focus of the discussion towards his dinner companion. 

“So. Why anthropology?” 

He was gratified to see Yosuke lean back, crossing his arms and looking thoughtful, if comfortable. “It was kind of a roundabout thing, I guess. I actually started out studying music; I love music, always have, and I wanted to play. I wasn’t bad, I guess-”

“What instrument?”

“Hmm? Oh, guitar.” The brunette gave Souji a lopsided smile that was really, _really_ unfair. “Wanted to be the next big superstar, of course. But then I took a ‘music culture’ class, and the rest, as they say, was _history_.” He grinned at the pun, and Souji groaned, and his response made the brunette cackle before continuing. “I love music, but history stole my heart, and I’ve been studying it ever since - especially the influence East Asian cultures have had on each other. Music, of course, was my first subject; I moved on to tea and fabric, although tea was already a topic so popular that my paper really didn’t gain much press. Still, there are plenty of other subjects for me to tackle; I really wanna publish my own book one day.”

The proud look on his face as he said this touched Souji’s heart; he found himself remembering his resolve to make something _new_ of his work, to not just be “yet another craftsman following tradition” and he resolved, once he got home, to look up more sources for Yosuke, more books and documents and even other crafters that might be able to help.

He kept this to himself, however, and the discussion continued; by the time the check came (which Yosuke gleefully took, informing Souji that he’d snagged Iwami’s company credit card for the occasion) they’d both talked a little more about themselves, and Souji felt like it had been an excellent evening. Not to mention the fact that he had a feeling that Yosuke was as interested in him as he was in Yosuke - or, at least, he hoped so. He wasn’t the kind to jump on that sort of attraction immediately, however, and he wanted to see where it went, so as they fastened their jackets and got ready to go, he asked if the brunette would be interested in meeting once more before Souji had to leave - to which Yosuke responded in an eager affirmative. 

“Sure! That’d be great! I mean, to be honest, I’m pretty sure I’ve got enough material here - but I’ve been having a lot of fun hanging out. There’s so much more we can talk about! Do you want to do dinner again? Get coffee?”

Both sounded great to Souji, but he kept himself from suggesting “both” and shook his head. “There’s two more days left in the exhibit and it’ll take a day to take everything down, so I’ll be leaving Sunday morning, which means I have three days. How about you pick whatever works best for you? I don’t have any more scheduled appointments, so I’ll be able to make almost anything.”

For a moment, the brunette looked almost bashful, but the expression quickly became thoughtful. “Tell you what, how about dinner, day after tomorrow? I’ll probably need to buckle down and organise a lot of this tomorrow, and I have to meet Iwami, and- shoot. Let me email you this interview article. It’s not terribly long, so would you mind getting back to me before noon tomorrow with any changes you might want?”

It was almost too good to be true. Another email gave Souji the chance to correspond a bit more with Yosuke, and he nodded, with a smile, to the brunette. “Sure thing. I’ll give it a read first thing in the morning, with my coffee.”

They’d left the restaurant by this point, and it looked like they’d both be heading in different directions, so Yosuke gave him a friendly wave. “Sounds good, Souji, thanks! I’ll text you about dinner, okay? Or email, or whatever. Have a good one!”

“You too!” _Mmm. It’s been a very good night, indeed._

* * *

The next morning, Yosuke started to work on organising all of the notes he’d gotten from Souji, although by his second cup of coffee he realised that he was going to have to seriously control himself; every new line of shorthand deciphered brought back memories from the evening before, which his imagination was _more_ than happy to relive, obsess over, and daydream about. He hadn’t had this sort of reaction to anyone in a _long_ time, and he found himself looking forward to dinner the next day even as he finally, firmly, took his brain to task and forced himself to settle down.

True to his word, Souji had responded to his emailed article with only a handful of very minor changes, and had then gone on with several paragraphs about side notes and addendums to the topics they’d talked about the night before. Yosuke forced himself to actually get some more work in before responding, since he wanted to send more than just a “thank you” - if Souji was willing to keep talking, so was Yosuke. That also gave him the chance to grab something more for dinner than just cup noodle, so it was a win/win situation all around.

Before it got too late, he remembered to dig up the information for a local seafood joint that he loved, and text it to Souji; it wasn’t anywhere near as fancy as the place they’d gone the night before, but the food was good and he was pretty sure, from their discussions, that Souji would enjoy it. The response was short but enthusiastic, and Yosuke finally went to bed looking very much forward to the next evening (still trying not to call it a ‘date’, although _it kind of was, wasn’t it??_ )

* * *

The “date” started out with a minor snag; minutes before getting to the restaurant, Yosuke received a text from Souji that just said “So sorry, will be late, wait for me?” The “wait for me” part made Yosuke feel at least a little better, so he just killed some time (luckily the place didn’t need reservations) at a nearby music store until he got another text. When the sculptor arrived (dressed again in casual clothes that still looked good), he told Yosuke that there’d been in incident at the museum at the exhibit’s closing party and several of his pieces had been damaged, so he’d had to spend a good part of the afternoon and evening talking to managers and filling out insurance paperwork.

Dinner was still good, though, and it was clear that Souji enjoyed both the food and Yosuke’s company (the feeling was mutual, of course.) They talked about anything and everything, and the evening passed in a flash; as a look at the clock told Yosuke that they should probably think about wrapping it up, he found himself _really_ not wanting the evening to end. 

_Well, not exactly the evening? The company in general. I mean I could ask him out for a drink or back to my place tonight, but… is that really how I want this to go? I like him, but… I think I_ **like** _him. I want to get to know him better, I don’t want to mess this up._

Yosuke thought about asking if Souji wanted to meet up one last time - tomorrow was his last day in Tokyo, he’d be leaving the day after - but looking at the sculptor he was struck with just how _tired_ Souji looked - and he didn’t want to push things. It was enough that they’d had this evening, even though things had come up, and they really hadn’t talked about history at all barring a few forays, and had mostly just chatted about normal things. So he let it go, they split the cheque, and eventually parted ways with warm smiles and a friendly hand-shake.

* * *

Over the following month, Yosuke found himself regretting not trying to meet up with Souji one last time before he left Tokyo - especially as the weeks passed and email correspondence between the two became a regular thing. It had never really ended, to be honest; Souji had sent Yosuke another email the day he left, and Yosuke had followed up with a thank you for having given him so much time, and from there it just became a thing between them, nearly every day. Occasionally they exchanged texts, but that was more for photos - Souji sent Yosuke a lot of pictures of pottery that he thought would help the brunette’s work - and hurried questions that Yosuke needed answered immediately; Yosuke just sent pictures of sunsets and cats and other random things and somehow, Souji seemed to like those just as much, and he was almost always available to answer Yosuke’s queries. More than anything, it felt to Yosuke like he’d made a _friend_.

Though by no means all, a large portion of their correspondence was, of course, about Yosuke’s research. There were several long, drawn-out discussion chains, and more than once, Yosuke would send Souji a several-passage excerpt and ask if he’d ‘gotten it right’ - usually he had. But there was still a baseline level of frustration any time Souji tried to explain a technique or concept; they’d be _easy_ \- or easi _er_ \- to grasp in person, Yosuke knew, but trusting such things to text, even with how good Souji seemed to be at words and instruction, left something to be desired. 

To be honest, though, he wasn’t just thinking about seeing Souji in person because it would make explanations easier; the truth of the matter was, he _missed_ Souji. They’d become friends, yes - but Yosuke was certain, by now, that he wanted more. He was attracted to the sculptor, he enjoyed the man’s company, enjoyed just sitting and talking to him _so_ much… and couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to take their relationship beyond friendship.

One morning, about a month after they’d met in Tokyo, Yosuke was trying not to think _too_ hard about Souji and failing miserably because he always had an email waiting for him at that time of day, when he stopped short upon opening that day’s message. He had to blink, take a drink of his coffee, and re-read the email twice to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood something.

_Yosuke,_

_In going over some books loaned to me by one of my fellow crafters (which have information in them that I think you can use) it struck me that, should you have time, you might gain something out of coming to see me in Arita. You’d be welcome, if you’re interested. I have these books, along with other documents, there are crafters here that can give you some different insights I’m sure, and I’d love to show you my studio, perhaps demonstrate some of these techniques we’ve spoken and written about but which you’ve never had the chance to see in person._

_What do you think? I’m not sure what your schedule is like, but I’m open for guests at any time. I have a spare room in my house, if that’s not too uncomfortable. Perhaps this coming weekend? Or is that too soon?_

_If you can’t make it, of course it would be fine, there’s no rush or pressure. Just know that I’m inviting you both as a researcher and as a friend. I very much enjoyed your company when we met in Tokyo, and I’d like to see you again._

_Yours,_

_Souji_

Yosuke didn’t even need to think twice. He knew that his schedule was “free” - if you ignored the fact that he was always busy working on his research, and well, this was part of his research, wasn’t it? And he had to admit that he’d probably have cancelled a lot for a chance to see Souji again. Especially given the warmth with which the invitation was given.

_We got along so well, do I dare hope that there might be something more there for Souji, too?_

Firing off a quick email that said various versions of “Hell, yeah!” in a much more professional manner, Yosuke immediately started looking for a flight; he could get his office to pick it up, since it was for research, and especially since they weren’t going to have to pay for him to stay somewhere, too. (Not that _staying with Souji_ wasn’t a little nerve-wracking, in and of itself.) Once he found one, it was only a matter of forcing himself to actually get ahead of schedule on his work so that he wouldn’t have to stress about it while he was gone. Arita wasn’t going to be a _vacation_ , but… having the freedom to go with the flow would be nice. 

* * *

On the afternoon Yosuke was slated to arrive, Souji waited patiently (or not-so-patiently, if you asked the potted plants around which he paced for a good half-hour) near the exit gate at Nagasaki airport. Yosuke spotted him first, and the sculptor couldn’t stop a smile from curving his lips when he heard, “Souji! Hey!” as a familiar (and welcome) brunette head came bobbing through the crowds. There was a split-second’s hesitation as Souji tried to decide how he wanted to greet his friend; he settled on a hearty and warm handshake - not without noticing, however, that Yosuke had hesitated too, and was that a shade of disappointment that it hadn’t been more?

_Am I wrong to hope that it was?_

While he wouldn’t have admitted it, he’d been feeling nervous ever since sending the invitation email. It wasn’t like him - usually he was relatively confident, and pragmatic enough to know that things don’t always work out, but this time… well, he’d already started coming to terms with the fact that he _liked_ Yosuke - a lot. And Souji was cautious by nature, so that he was willing to admit as much meant that he was _very_ fond of the brunette.

Of course, when Yosuke said yes, it only made him more nervous. What if he screwed something up? What if Yosuke didn’t enjoy himself, or the information Souji had gotten for him wasn’t useful? And the worst thought - what if Souji _did_ manage to scrape together the courage to say something only to find that he was wrong, and the brunette wasn’t interested - or became actively insulted?

Luckily, Souji was, by nature, reasonably logical. Worried or not, he didn’t let it disrupt his week, and he was relatively certain that he was at least outwardly composed by the time that Yosuke arrived. Once the brunette was standing in front of him, Souji found himself relaxing; being together made him feel _comfortable_ , and he stopped worrying. Even if he didn’t know how things were going to turn out, he felt that they’d at least be all right.

As Yosuke was only staying for a few days, he only had a small carry-on duffel, and so they didn’t need to worry about baggage. By the time they’d gotten to Souji’s car - a comfortable little hybrid that Yosuke was exceedingly jealous of (living in Tokyo, he had no need or room for a car) - the brunette was already talking about how nice the weather was, how it was cooler than he’d expected; a little muggy, but then he lived in Tokyo, and they both grimaced at _that_. When he mentioned how much of a ‘refreshing change’ it was, Souji felt even more of his anxiety slip away.

_Why am I stressing out? Yosuke’s here, he’s having fun, we’re going to have a great time._

On their way back to Souji’s home and studio, they stopped for lunch. It was a kitschy place, with thousands of different pieces of porcelain on display (some of which were Souji’s; he was a little embarrassed when the owner recognised him, but it netted them two servings of the day’s limited menu, so there was at least that.) Yosuke loved it, which is why Souji took him, and, well - he could put up with a little kitsch to see that bright smile. They’d have time to hit up the little hole-in-the-wall restaurants Souji loved later on in the visit.

Souji’s house was semi-traditional, relatively large for one person, and not too far from the town proper or the clay quarry, but in a nicely secluded, woodsy area with a stream nearby and a view of the town. When they arrived Yosuke was the first to hop out of the car, eyes widening as he looked around.

“Holy crap, dude. This is so nice! I mean, it’s kinda rural, but it’s not _too_ far from stores and entertainment and stuff, not when you have a car. And man, sometimes I wish I had some place to write that’s more peaceful than a busy-ass apartment flat with college students partying nearby and some angry old coots arguing next door.” He stopped a little abruptly, cheeks going ever-so-faintly red, and Souji wondered for a moment what was up, but before he could ask, the brunette continued. “Nevermind that. Do I get the 10-yen tour?”

Chuckling, Souji took the brunette to the spare room, giving him the chance to leave his bag before showing him around the house. While it wasn’t exactly museum-pristine, it was relatively uncluttered; there were a lot of displays of porcelain, or other art, and a good number of books, but there were also plants and pictures and comfortable nooks, which made it feel homey. They ended in the kitchen, where Souji offered Yosuke a drink; the brunette took a bottle of water, smiling at his host.

“This place is amazing, Souji. It’s so well-taken care of, too. You _sure_ you don’t have a housekeeper or a wife hidden away somewhere?”

The question caught Souji by surprise. Sure, Yosuke had mentioned that he was single back when they’d first met at the exhibit, but Souji’s status had never come up. Shaking his head, he smiled lightly.

“I’m sure. It’s just me - no significant other, no students.”

“Married to your art, then?” The question had the air of a joke, and Yosuke was smiling as he said it. There was something, however, behind his gaze, and Souji found his heart rate speeding up as he met the brunette’s eyes.

“Not at all. I’m just… very particular, I guess, and my work is fulfilling enough that I’m only willing to take a chance on someone with whom I feel a strong connection, whose company I enjoy.” He raised an eyebrow significantly as he said this, nodding slightly; Yosuke - whose gaze had never left his - looked surprised for a moment, his eyes widening, and a smile broke across his face.

While it was always possible that he hadn’t understood Souji’s meaning, the sculptor really didn’t think that was the case, and a warm, airy feeling of happiness rolled over him. Forcing himself to stop rejoicing inwardly, he nodded, making sure to keep his knowing smile for as long as he could before finally turning towards the garden door. 

“Would you like to see the studio now, or would you prefer to take some time to rest after your travels?”

* * *

Yosuke almost missed the question, he was so mesmerised by Souji’s smile and the insinuation behind the answer he’d received to his last question. _Taking a chance on someone he feels a strong connection with, eh? Whose company he enjoys?_ Remembering the wording of the email when Souji had invited him to visit, “I very much enjoyed your company when we met in Tokyo,” it was all Yosuke could do to keep from dancing where he stood. Sure, he could be reading too much into things, but by this point… he _really_ didn’t think so.

When he realised that Souji had suggested they check out his studio, he nodded eagerly. “Sure! Now’s fine, I mean, I’m not tired or anything. I wanna see it!” Even if he was interested in Souji personally, that didn’t change the _main_ reason he’d come, and he was still very much looking forward to seeing the place where Souji made so many of his masterpieces, as well as getting the chance to learn more about what was rapidly becoming a favourite subject of his. Pottery had actually caught his interest much more than he’d expected it would, and he could already think of several subjects he wanted to research once he’d finished writing his book about Chinese influence in Japanese culture.

His answer seemed to please Souji, who smiled at him - _again! That look is so unfair!_ \- and held the door open before leading the way down a small garden path. The garden was beautiful, as was to be expected, arranged in a traditional style with a pond, koi, and plenty of beautiful ceramic planters everywhere, and it led to a nice, spacious building that clearly served as the sculptor’s studio. Stepping inside, Souji seemed almost to light up. 

“Well, this is where I spend a good portion of my time.” The room itself was bright with windows placed so that the drafting table against one wall - with dozens of sketches pinned on a cork board behind it - and the potter’s wheel near the door were in direct sunlight for much of the day. Several racks rested against one wall, on which several dozen pieces of all different shapes and sizes, from tableware to sculptures, were drying; the shelves were draped with muslin (likely to keep dust off) but the forms behind the cloth were still visible. Supplies lay scattered across a large, low counter in the centre of the room; there were shelves and hooks full of tools, bright tubs of glaze, and although it was a very clean room there were unavoidable, faint traces of clay everywhere. There was a wide, double door in the far wall; when Yosuke looked towards it, Souji nodded. “My kiln.”

As Souji showed off his workspace, Yosuke couldn’t help marvel at the change in the sculptor’s manner. Usually calm, quiet, and collected, now he was so animated and intense that it was almost hard to believe he was the same person - except that it wasn’t, because his warmth was the same, as was the way he moved with every gesture precise and exact. 

Honestly, it was completely and utterly alluring, and Yosuke finally gave in, admitting that he was lost. 

_I… just really like Souji. Maybe I’ll have a chance to say something before I leave. I think I’ll regret it if I don’t._

After showing Yosuke some works in different stages - some still drying, some bisque-fired with glaze already added - Souji picked up a brush and used a small plate to demonstrate some of the more in-depth glazing procedures he’d tried to explain over email. This was _much_ easier for the brunette to understand, and by the time Souji had finished, Yosuke was nodding in satisfaction as he jotted down some final notes. 

Although glaze, patterns, and decoration were primarily where Yosuke’s research lay, he couldn’t help being curious about the potter’s wheel as well, and when he turned his attention to it, Souji smiled. 

“Want to see it in action?”

“Yeah!” Of course he did. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was madly curious about what Souji looked like when he was creating, or that he wanted to see more of “suave, confident Souji.” Not at **all**. He was merely curious in general, that was all, but when Souji rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned the top button of the henley he was wearing, Yosuke couldn’t help but stare. Attraction aside, it was clear that Souji was in his element, that he was born to be an artist, a sculptor.

Seeing the clay take shape under Souji’s lithe, agile fingers, Yosuke was almost too mesmerised by his movements to recognise that the piece emerging was a delicate sake cup with a flared rim and an off-centred, raised swirl around the base that marked it as one of Souji’s original works, not one of the traditional pieces that had earned him his certification. That was okay; despite the fact that tradition was why Yosuke had originally met Souji, the brunette found that the character in the sculptor’s ‘personal’ designs was captivating and elegant, showing his character in a way that the traditional pieces didn’t.

 _It’s no wonder that he’s the youngest master in Arita._ Rumour had it that he was on the shortlist for designation as a Living Treasure, but the researcher also wondered if that was something Souji wanted. True, he spent much of his time working to preserve the Nabeshima designs and practices, but he also took great pride in his own, unique works, and Yosuke wouldn’t want to see that change.

He was just musing over this when he realised that the piece in Souji’s hands was complete; the kick-wheel slowed, and the sculptor looked up. It took Yosuke a second to realise that Souji was _smirking_ at him, and just. Just, _wow_. He’d never seen anything so attractive before, and it was a wonder that his knees didn’t buckle at that moment.

He was saved when Souji pulled out a loop of wire, carefully detaching the cup from the wheel before standing up to carry it over to Yosuke. The brunette hesitantly touched it; the clay was cool to his fingertips, and so amazingly smooth that it was hard to believe it hadn’t come from a mould.

“I can’t believe you just made that, like just now. I mean, I can, because I’ve seen your work. But it’s so polished and finished, and.” Shaking his head, Yosuke laughed a little. “Well, it’s really cool. Watching you was cool, too. It looks so effortless, but I bet it’s not.”

His compliments, it seemed, made Souji happy, and there was an obvious tinge of red to the artist’s cheeks as he carried the cup over to place it on the drying rack. “I want to say it’s no big deal, but I know how much work it takes to get to the point where it _is_ that easy. Do you want to try it? It’s just a cup, and a small one. It would be one of the easier pieces to make; being so small, you don’t have to worry so much about consistency or wall thickness, although you do have to be mindful.”

Yosuke only hesitated for a moment. While he was wary of making a fool of himself - _especially in front of Souji_ \- he also realised that Souji was the kind of person who wouldn’t make fun of someone’s first attempt at anything. And it really had looked like a lot of fun. 

_Go for it, Hanamura._

“Sure! What do I need to do?”

After making sure the brunette’s hands were clean and his shirt sleeves were rolled so that they wouldn’t get in the way, Souji gave the researcher a brief overview of the wheel and showed him how to use it. Then came the clay, and how to place and shape it; Yosuke found that Souji was a very good teacher, and that his explanations were simple and easy-to-understand.

Taking a deep breath, he started up the wheel as Souji had shown him. “Well, here goes!”

* * *

Yosuke was enthusiastic, and to be honest, he wasn’t actually terrible, not for a beginner. He did make most of the standard beginner mistakes, however, and after a few minutes of not really much of anything happening, Souji shook his head. “You’re treating it too gingerly. The clay will take shape under your hands, but you can’t be afraid to put some pressure on it, and you need to keep your elbows tight against your body.” Hesitating for only a moment, he grabbed a nearby stool and slid it up, taking a seat behind the brunette. 

_God, hope this doesn’t backfire spectacularly._

Placing his hands carefully on the brunette’s arms, he maneuvered them into the appropriate positions, pausing to see how Yosuke was going to react to him being so close. While there was a moment where things could go either way - the brunette froze and the wheel started to spin down - it was brief, and after that it seemed that he didn’t mind. 

In fact, as Yosuke leaned back, Souji realised that ‘didn’t mind’ was an understatement - the brunette _liked_ it. And for a moment, the sculptor was glad that they weren’t looking at one another, because he couldn’t stop smiling.

“If I’m too close, tell me-”

“You’re- not. Don’t worry. It’s- it’s for the clay, right?” Yosuke’s voice was just the tiniest bit hoarse, and Souji understood exactly how he felt.  

“Amongst other things.” Souji’s words were low, and in his arms he could feel the brunette shiver. Resisting the urge to place a kiss behind Yosuke’s ear, Souji slid his hands down his arms, placing his hands on top of the brunette’s before starting to use them to mold the clay. He almost expected Yosuke to pull away, but he didn’t; instead, he settled in, and as Souji felt the brunette’s warm back against his chest, he realised that sharing a potter’s wheel was something he’d never thought about before, and _it was amazing._ He could feel Yosuke’s heartbeat - was certain that the brunette could feel _his_ \- and it was all Souji could do to tear his attention away from Yosuke himself and turn it back to the project at hand.

“Work the clay like _this_.” He was murmuring directly in the brunette’s ear by now, and Yosuke merely nodded, moving his hands as he was shown. Clay slipped between clasped fingers, and through a hazy sense of burgeoning _want_ and _need_ , Souji realised that the brunette - though clearly enjoying the situation, if the smile on his lips and blush on his cheeks was any indication - was still earnestly focused on the piece that he was trying to create. 

_He’s trying so hard, it’s clear that he really does want to learn. I need to respect that, even if I’m over the moon with how well this is going._ And, to be fair, the fact that Yosuke was enjoying it so much - the clay and the creation, not just their closeness - made Souji happy.

Shaking his head briefly to clear it, he brought his focus back to their hands and began to show Yosuke how to breathe life into the clay on the wheel in front of them. Once he felt like the brunette had the hang of what he was doing, he removed his hands; Yosuke faltered for a moment, and Souji would _almost_ swear that he looked lonely; feeling a swell of emotion that he hadn’t expected, he moved his arms down, wrapping them around the brunette’s waist. 

“You’re doing well, keep it up.”

The praise - or perhaps it was the arms holding him - seemed to reassure Yosuke, who resumed working on the clay with a newly-determined expression; Souji gave him occasional words of guidance, and eventually told him to slow the wheel. Once it stopped, he leaned around Yosuke to look at the finished piece before using the wire to cut it from the wheel. While it wasn’t a perfect match for Souji’s, it was the same size and roughly the same shape, and Yosuke had even - of his own volition - attempted to mimic the raised design on the first cup. It wasn’t exact, but it really wasn’t bad for a starter piece.

“Well, what do you think? To be honest, you’re better than a lot of beginners. I’d drink out of it.”

Souji’s words seemed to surprise the brunette, who looked down at the cup in front of him. “I… it’s not bad? I guess it isn’t. Hey, it’s not bad at all!” He grinned, turning his head, but when his gaze met Souji’s, they both paused, and suddenly Souji only had eyes for Yosuke.

The _want_ and _need_ from earlier suddenly came back, stronger than ever, and it seemed only natural that they should lean in towards one another. Seeing the same expression of desire on Yosuke’s face emboldened Souji, who shifted to allow the brunette to turn in his arms, and when he did, placed a possessive hand on Yosuke’s back. Lips met in a kiss that had been building for months, and between the breathless wonder and the wordless ache, it was everything he’d hoped it would be, and more. 

The kickwheel had stopped by now, and although Souji - ever the sculptor - took a brief moment to shift the newly-minted cup backwards so that it wouldn’t get crushed, this was but an interruption before he leaned forward again, pressing Yosuke’s back against the large stone slab. The brunette placed a hand on Souji’s cheek as the kiss deepened; Souji pulled him close, and the hand that had been against Yosuke’s back moved under his shirt. He slowly traced the taut lines of muscle that shifted and rippled beneath his clay-slicked fingertips as they left traces on the canvas of the brunette's body. Overwhelmed for a moment, Souji broke the kiss, moving his lips to Yosuke’s ear, his words barely a breath. 

“I want to sculpt you some day, Yosuke.” 

The brunette looked at him with wide eyes, and then wrapped his arms around Souji’s neck, pulling him back in for another kiss. As it lengthened, Souji realised that the potter’s wheel was _not_ the most comfortable place for this kind of intimacy; standing up, he held a clay-covered hand towards Yosuke. 

“Let’s take this back to the house.”

* * *

Yosuke was grateful when Souji paused, giving him a chance to decide whether or not this was what he wanted; it _was_ , of course, and he didn’t even hesitate to put his hand in Souji’s - after all, Yosuke was head-over-heels in love with the guy - but it was a gesture of respect that warmed his heart. 

He still couldn’t believe it was happening. Even if he’d been relatively certain that the interest was mutual, he never would have imagined _this_. It felt _right_ , though, and as he followed the sculptor into the house he couldn’t help closing his hand around the one holding his, stopping to pull Souji close. Brushing a lock of silver hair out of Souji's eyes, Yosuke kissed him - lightly and sweetly, but slowly deepening into something achingly beautiful.

Souji, of course, responded eagerly, and they stood there for a breathless few moments before Yosuke’s eyes flickered open. For a moment he wasn’t sure what the patterns were on Souji’s face; at first, he thought that a curtain or blind must be throwing shadows in the setting sun, but he quickly realised that it was drying clay and he blinked, pulling back.

“Crap. We’re a mess, and your clothes-“ Looking down, he saw clay handprints and smears across Souji’s shirt, Yosuke’s handiwork from the several times that he’d wrapped his arms around the sculptor. And then, he realised that there was clay all over _his_ clothes as well, but before he could get too alarmed he heard a chuckle, and looked up.

“Unless you’re wearing something that’s dry-clean only, you’ll be fine.” Souji was looking at him with a fond, amused expression that took Yosuke’s breath away. “We’ll brush off the excess clay, then throw everything into the wash.” The fondness shifted to speculation, and there was a _look_ in his eyes that Yosuke couldn’t place but desperately wanted to, and then he was in Souji’s arms and a pair of soft lips were whispering against his ear again.

“We need a shower first, though. Come with me?”

If Souji hadn’t been holding him, Yosuke’s legs would have buckled at the breathless longing in his voice, and there was no way – _no_ way – the brunette would ever have refused such a request. Wrapping an arm around Souji’s back, Yosuke buried his face against the broad shoulder in front of him hoping that Souji could understand his hurried nod because he couldn’t find the words or breath to speak.

It was enough. Five minutes later found them in a spacious bathroom with soft lighting and a glass-walled shower easily large enough for two; there was clearly more to the room than this, but the brunette only had eyes for the man in front of him who was already half-undressed and reaching for the bottom of Yosuke’s shirt. Souji’s eyebrow was raised in an unspoken question, and hesitantly, Yosuke nodded before tugging his own shirt over his head; he was so nervous that he wanted to cross his arms in front of him, but he didn’t have time before Souji reached for him, placing a hand on his waist and pulling him close to drop feather-soft kisses along his shoulder.

“You’re so amazing, Yosuke.”

The words were enough to free the brunette’s voice, and he gave a short laugh. “Me? You’re the amazing one, Souji.” He wanted to say more, tell Souji how much he liked him, how long he’d wanted him, how he couldn’t believe that this was really happening, but before he could he found a hand cradling his cheek, bringing him in for another soft, hazy kiss.

“I’m glad _you_ think so, at least. That’s all that matters to me.”

The water was warm, as were the tiles behind Yosuke’s back as he found himself pinned to the wall; Souji’s lithe fingers traced the lines of clay decorating the brunette’s torso as they faded away beneath the rivulets cascading between them. The reverence in the sculptor’s eyes as he watched Yosuke was too much to resist, so the brunette slid an arm around Souji’s waist to pull him in for another kiss. It was long and languid, and as Yosuke melted into it he realised just how perfectly their bodies fit together.

When they finally separated, Yosuke leaned back to catch his breath and as he did Souji lifted the brunette’s wrist to his lips, placing soft kisses along it that slowly moved down to his fingers. Cradling Yosuke’s hand, Souji placed the palm against his cheek before leaning into it and turning to kiss it - and that was the final straw. Yosuke couldn’t hold back any longer, nor did he want to.

Reaching up, he tangled his fingers in Souji’s soft silver hair, pulling him close while at the same time sliding his arm around the sculptor’s waist again. As their foreheads pressed together, Yosuke whispered in a voice so hoarse with want that it was almost broken,

“I _need_ you, Souji. So much.”

He wasn’t sure how they got out of the shower, or dried off, or into the bedroom, but honestly, he didn’t care.

* * *

_Just need to fix that misspelling on page seventeen and- There! Done!_

Pushing his chair back from his desk, Yosuke gave an exaggerated sigh, pretending to wipe mock sweat from his forehead as he looked at the computer screen in front of him. He was done - _done_ \- with the pottery treatise, it was saved in four different places, and now all he needed to do was email it to his editor and print out a copy for his records. It was _done_ , and it was _good_ , if he did say so himself. And while some small part of him regretted that it was finished - after all, this paper was why he’d met Souji in the first place, and he’d learned so much over the course of writing it - in the end, he was much more excited about what the future held, what his next research project would be.

After all, he and Souji had been dating for a little over two months now. They hadn’t _seen_ each other since he’d come back from his visit to Arita - Yosuke _did_ have to write his paper, after all, and Souji still had work to do, seminars to host, commissions to fill, and custom pieces to make. That didn’t mean that they didn’t still talk every day, though - even more than they had before the trip. There were morning emails, all-day texts and computer chats, video calls, and - when they could manage it - bedtime calls. 

Still, Yosuke missed Souji, very much. They’d had an amazing time the weekend of his visit, and it was with a lot of reluctance that they’d said goodbye at the airport, promising to keep in touch and figure out a way to see each other again soon. And although he understood why they hadn’t yet, it didn’t mean he didn’t think about it every day. 

Stretching, he looked around his office. It was small and cramped, but that was relatively normal for academic press. He might have had a little more room if he’d been at a university and teaching, but then he wouldn’t have nearly as much time to pursue the research that he actually wanted. And it was _space_ , at least, and the office had a manager and a receptionist, so really, it could have been worse. It wasn’t like he could work at his apartment, unless he had to; it was busy and noisy and he lived in _Tokyo_ , where apartments were tiny unless you were really, really rich.

Before he could decide whether or not he wanted to get up and get another cup of coffee before texting Souji share the good news, however, the door opened and the office secretary came in. She was carrying a box and a handful of letters, all of which were addressed to him. Thanking her, he gave the letters a once-over; the box was more intriguing, though, because he recognised the handwriting.

_It’s from Souji!_

Inside the box was another box, this one of wood, which was packed with rush grass. With a surprised smile on his face, he carefully lifted out the contents that the grass had been protecting - a pair of porcelain sake cups and a sake bottle, all decorated with a beautiful, luminous glaze. It wasn’t anything like the “traditional” patterns he’d studied with Souji, and he wasn’t surprised when, examining one of the cups, he realised that it was the one his boyfriend had made when Yosuke was visiting his studio. He _was_ surprised when he lifted the other one out and looked at it; it was the piece _he_ had made, and somehow now that it was glazed, it didn’t look nearly as awkward as he’d remembered (he did wonder if perhaps Souji had ‘cleaned it up’, but he wouldn’t have been offended if he had.) Souji’s piece glowed with blues and browns and Yosuke’s with oranges and browns, but the patterns were so complimentary that when they were placed together, with the bottle, they looked like they had been made for each other.

_Well, they kind of were._

Heart in his throat - _oh_ , how he missed Souji! - he opened the note that had been taped to the underside of the lid.

 _I miss you, Yosuke. Let’s use these to drink sake together soon_.

He was just wishing that “soon” meant what it said and wasn’t just a fond wish between the two of them when he heard someone clear their throat. Looking up sharply, he saw a sight both welcome and unexpected; Souji was leaning against the doorway, a bottle in his hand and a hopeful smile on his face. The smile widened as Yosuke’s face lit up, and before either could speak, the brunette was out of his chair and flying for the door.

“Souji!”

And then he was in Souji’s arms and they were laughing, and then they were kissing and it was as amazing as when they’d been together last and a thousand times better than he remembered. When they separated to catch their breath, Souji smiled, putting his palm against the brunette’s cheek as they rested, forehead-to-forehead, smiling into one another’s eyes.

“I missed you, Yosuke.”

“I missed you, too, you big dork.” Yosuke gave a watery smile before kissing the palm against his cheek. “Why are you here, though? I’m not complaining, but you couldn’t have told me?”

Using a thumb to brush away any brimming tears before they could spill, Souji chuckled. “I wanted it to be a surprise, I’m sorry. And to be fair, it was only this Monday that I thought I might be able to come - a client is setting up a new house and they’ve hired me to create one-of-a-kind pottery, vases, sculptures, the works. They’d been planning to just send photos of the place, but after consideration, they think that it’s better to have me see the place before I start to design. And… I kind of wanted to see the look on your face when I just showed up. I mean, who knows - you could have forgotten me, you know? Replaced me with somebody snazzy from the big city. I know it’s been too long since we last saw one another.” He smiled as he said this, but there was just the faintest hint of uncertainty in his eyes, and Yosuke found himself laughing.

“As if. If I even _wanted_ to - and I don’t - you’d have a _much_ easier time than I would with that. But you don’t need to worry, okay? Do you know how much I missed you?” 

“I think I have an idea.” Souji smiled softly, and their next kiss didn’t break until they were interrupted by a cleared throat; the secretary was standing in the doorway, behind Souji. She very pointedly ignored both of them, focusing on a spot against the far wall.

“Mr. Iwami wants to talk to you, Mr. Hanamura.”

“Oh!” Yosuke felt a little embarrassed, but he was too happy at seeing his boyfriend again to really care. “Must be about my paper. Probably something to do with the editing and printing schedule.”

“Is it done?” Souji looked surprised.

“Yep. I was just about to text you and let you know.” Yosuke chuckled, then the look on his face shifted to one of speculation. “So, what’s your schedule? Where are you staying?”

“I’m free tonight, and I was hoping you’d want to grab dinner. Maybe that seafood place again?” When Yosuke nodded eagerly, Souji’s expression became shy. “As for where I’m staying, I hadn’t booked a room yet-”

“Well, good.” Shy Souji was a boost to Yosuke’s ego and he couldn’t stop grinning. “My place is small, but it’s clean, and I’ve got a bed, a shower, and a kitchen. Stay with me?”

“Mmm, add you in there and that’s all I need. Of course I will. Thank you for the invitation.” The sculptor gave him a slow, sweet kiss. “All right, I’ve kept you from your editor too long. I’ll wait for you?”

“Yep! Feel free to take a seat inside and I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Hurrying off, Yosuke couldn’t wipe the grin off his face and had no reason to. 

* * *

The meeting was over quickly, even if it wasn’t as quickly as Yosuke would have wanted, and when they left the office Yosuke had locked up for a week-long vacation, and Souji had a copy of the researcher’s newest paper on a USB drive in his pocket, ready to read at his leisure. Yosuke, of course, wasn’t willing to let the piece be published until his primary source had given his approval. 

Dinner was intimate and comfortable, and it was just… _good_ to be with Souji again. Although Yosuke knew that things would be fine given how their first weekend together had been, it was only natural that, in such a new relationship, tiny, niggling doubts would creep in. He needn’t have worried, however, because things were every bit as good as they had been, and better thanks to the fact that they’d missed each other so much.

One thing Yosuke did notice was that several times through the evening Souji started to say something and then refrained, usually after one or the other of them had made a comment about how much they’d missed the other. After the third time this happened, Yosuke put his spoon down into the bowl of gelato they were sharing.

“Souji. What’s up? You keep starting to say something… you know you can tell or ask me anything, right?” He tried to hide his anxiety under a light-hearted smile, and was relieved when Souji’s smile in return was warm, albeit with a hint of nervousness.

“I, well… all right. I do know, I just don’t know if this is the right time to say this. Maybe it is, since you just finished your research project. I was just thinking about how much I missed you over the last couple of months, and… well… Yosuke, would you move in with me?”

 _Move in with him?_ To be honest, it wasn’t like Yosuke hadn’t thought about it, nor was it like he hadn’t already weighed the pros and cons of one of them moving to be with the other - and short of the “Tokyo has everything” aspect, it always came out in the favour of the brunette moving to be with Souji. Before he could say anything, however, Souji continued, looking anxious.

“There’s so much room in my house, you could write there, and I mean, know it’s a big question, and I’m not expecting you to answer right now - or even if, I mean, well if you’d rather not I totally understand. Maybe it’s too early, or maybe I could move to Tokyo, I just… I miss you, Yosuke.”

It was so surprising and so _endearing_ to hear the usually-calm sculptor sound so nervous, tripping over his own words that Yosuke couldn’t help smiling as he reached for Souji’s hand. 

“Souji. Take a breath, it’s okay. I promise.” He smiled encouragingly at his boyfriend, who responded in kind, and then wrapped both hands around the one that he was holding. “I need to think about it, it’s true. It’s a big step, but it’s not an idea I hate. In fact, if anything, I have to restrain myself from agreeing to something without having thought it through. Live with you? See you every day?” He smiled, squeezing the hand he was holding before kissing its palm. “Wake up with you every morning? That’s a dream come true, Souji. I miss you as much as you miss me, we’ve already talked about that.”

“Of course that’s fine, Yosuke. I wouldn’t expect anything else. Take all the time you need - you know I’m willing to wait for you.” The relief on Souji’s face was palpable, and they finished their shared dessert in happy silence before heading back to Yosuke’s apartment. 

* * *

“Hmmm. Want to share that sake I brought? It’s been chilling for a while now.”

Yosuke lifted his head from Souji’s chest and smiled at his boyfriend. They’d been back at his place for a couple of hours, and while it wasn’t late enough for either of them to be tired enough to sleep, they were both feeling lazy, happy, and relaxed. Sake would be the perfect ending to an amazing evening. 

“Sounds good, partner. Set out the cups, will you?” Slipping out of bed, Yosuke pulled his shirt on before heading for the kitchen to bring out the bottle; as Souji reached for the box that held the cups, he looked over at the brunette in bemusement.

“Partner,  huh?”

“Yeah.” Grinning, Yosuke walked over, plopping down onto the sofa next to Souji before reaching for the porcelain bottle to fill it. “You know, we can rely on each other, we help each other out… I mean, I guess you helped me out a lot more than I helped you, but… I wanna work on that, you know?”

As Yosuke filled his cup (the brunette was ridiculously pleased to see that Souji had taken the cup _he’d_ made, even though it wasn’t as nice) Souji smiled at him. “You do more for me than you think, Yosuke. I’ve never been as inspired as I am now, and I never knew how alone I was before we started talking so much. It’s something I wouldn’t ever want to give up, now that I have it.” 

“Dork.” Yosuke blushed as they tapped their cups together, and Souji wrapped an arm around him as they slowly split the bottle. Once it was finished, Yosuke washed the cups to put them away - his apartment was too small to leave something so nice out for display - and as he was drying them, he realised that there were patterns etched into the bottom of each cup. It wasn’t until he had them both upended and placed together that he could see the entire design; it was a flock of swallows flying across a field of pine and chrysanthemum, and it took both cups to see the entire picture. 

Given his research specialties, Yosuke knew these meanings well - chrysanthemum for longevity and rejuvenation, pine also for longevity and also steadfastness, and swallows for good luck - and fidelity in a relationship. Feeling a swell of warmth and longing fill his heart, the brunette looked towards the closed balcony door - Souji had stepped outside to take a phone call from the clients he’d come to Tokyo to see - and a happy smile broke across his face.

_There really isn’t a debate. What do I have here? Entertainment, I guess, and the chance to wander around the city - but it’s not like I go to concerts or shows or exhibits unless I’m researching, and wandering around by myself pales in comparison now that I have someone to wander with. I don’t need to be in Tokyo to write, but Souji needs to be in Arita to craft - more than location matters to me, anyway. I can video conference with Iwami, if I need to - and writing out there would be so much more peaceful. How often have I gone out to a park just to get some peace and quiet? And it looks like Souji has to come into the city often enough that we’d still get to visit - and I’d probably need to come from time to time to handle publishing details._

_Why am I even hesitating?_

As he thought this, the balcony door opened, and Souji stepped back inside. His eyes met Yosuke’s, and his face brightened; at that moment, Yosuke knew that he was making the right decision. 

_Why be apart if we don’t have to be?_


	2. Sculptures at an Exhibition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A follow-up chapter as a secret santa gift to [ammosart](http://ammosart.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr!

_Oh crap, I’m gonna be late!_

Shoving his phone into his pocket, Yosuke adjusted the messenger bag strap stretched across his chest; it had a tendency to get in the way when he was wearing his hoodie, and he had to watch for the velcro straps on his pockets. As was his wont, he had a pair of headphones around his neck, but he didn’t have them up; he loved hearing the crunch of dried maple leaves beneath his feet as he crossed Ueno Park, heading for the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art. As he approached the large brick edifice, he had to smile; the sight always caused him to think back to his first visit, when he’d gone to meet and possibly interview renowned potter and sculptor Souji Seta. At the time, it had only been for research; he’d had no idea that the meeting would change his life.

He and Souji had been living together for a year now, and they were still blissfully happy. They’d had a few grumpy moments, a few times apart while Souji visited clients and museums or Yosuke met with his publishers or pursued his newest research. But moving in together had been the right choice, and every time Yosuke woke to the sound of birds and wind in the trees, or traded a kiss in exchange for his coffee, he knew it. Just like he knew it every time he stood in the door of Souji’s workshop to watch his lover lost in his work, and every time he looked up from his research to find that hours had passed, a thermos of tea had been placed at his elbow, and Souji was sitting by the window, sketching his next piece, content to share companionable space and silence. 

Oftentimes, they made trips together, and this was one of those times. Yosuke had a meeting with his editor to discuss his newest research paper, and Souji had a new exhibit at the Met, which he’d been preparing for over the last three months or so. The brunette was insanely curious; he’d seen a few pieces and a few early sketches, but after a certain point Souji had stopped letting Yosuke into his studio, and although the brunette didn’t  _mind_ , that didn’t mean he wasn’t eager to finally see what his partner had been working on so secretively.

Taking the steps up to the exhibition room two-by-two, Yosuke found that he was only a few minutes late; patrons were already strolling around the well-lit room, but that was nice, because it meant that he could stroll, mingle, and listen (with no small amount of pride) as the attendees discussed and complimented Souji’s work. He meandered, as was his wont, examining piece after piece; this exhibit focused more on sculptures and Souji’s unique works and less on his traditional pottery, and the brunette loved it. While he very much enjoyed seeing his lover sitting at the potter’s wheel, throwing cups and plates that featured timeless lines and classic patterns (and, indeed, he had some very nice memories attached to that wheel), a part of him thrilled every time Souji let his creative side out, because the pieces that he made then were always so amazing, so beautiful and thought-provoking.

Some sculptures he recognised from some of Souji’s early sketches, and some were variations on familiar themes. Some were reminiscent of patterns he’d seen around their house, places they’d been, or things they’d seen, and some were completely new, intriguing and surprising all at once. As he made his way towards the back, he saw a surprisingly large statue, standing near the wall; there was enough room to walk around it, but not much. It was easily the biggest piece Souji had ever made.

As he approached, there were enough people milling about that he couldn’t immediately see what the statue was; it wasn’t until he got closer that he realised it was a person, standing with their back to the viewer. Standing with a relaxed pose, hands in their pockets, they wore a short-sleeved shirt; the jeans rolled to their knees, combined with the bit of ground that was sculpted at their feet, gave the impression that they were standing on the beach. There was something familiar about the whole scene, and as he walked up one comment caught his ear.

“He makes me want to see his face.”

It must have been a popular sentiment, because most people would walk up, stand for a moment, then peer around to look at the statue’s face, smile, and then turn to look at the plaque beside it. Yosuke joined the crowd, contemplating the piece for a few moments; there was something peaceful about it, but as he stepped forward to peer around to see the face, he found himself speechless. Almost immediately, he stepped back, flipping up his hoodie and sinking into it as he tried to hide the flush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

It was  _him_.

There was no doubt about it. The shirt was one Yosuke had worn the last time they’d gone up to the beach in Fukuoka that summer. They’d had a good time swimming and relaxing, but as the day stretched towards evening they’d taken a walk, hand-in-hand, down the beach to watch the sunset across the water. He remembered the moment as if it was yesterday; a light breeze had been blowing, and he’d stood, eyes closed, feeling a sense of peace, as if he was at one with his surroundings. And then Souji had called his name, quietly, and he’d looked up to see his lover watching him, a soft smile on his face; they’d kissed - of course - and after a moment of just enjoying one another’s company, they’d headed back up the beach to have dinner before driving home.

Heart fluttering in his throat, Yosuke stepped aside, turning his attention to the plaque beside the statue. At the first few words, he found himself growing even more embarrassed; he couldn’t look away, however, and he skimmed the short paragraph with a lump in his throat and tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

> _This piece was inspired by someone very important in my life. Not only does he support me in every way, he’s brought peace and contentment into my life, showing me the joy of every day, and in every moment, no matter how simple. When I’m with him, I feel like I’m always looking towards a new horizon, and new opportunities._

Yosuke had to blink hard as he finished reading; he half-expected Souji to materialise at this moment - the sculptor had a second sense for cheesy or dramatic moments, it seemed - but when he looked around he couldn’t see his lover anywhere. The space was the same one that had hosted the exhibit where they’d first met, however, and Yosuke knew that if he didn’t see Souji out on the floor, there was only one place he’d be.

Heading around the corner, it was easy enough to show his visitor badge to the guard and slip through the door into the back, to the small room that Souji used as an office whenever he had an exhibit. Pushing the door open, he was met by the sight of a familiar silver head bending over a museum catalogue, checking off the pieces that were out for display; when Souji looked up, a delighted smile spread across his face.

“Yosuke! You’re back. How did-  _mmmf!_ ”

The sculptor’s words cut off abruptly as Yosuke pulled him into a kiss, and although it was clear that Souji was surprised by the display, the smile on his lips and fervour with which he returned the gesture showed that he had no complaints about it. When they finally stepped back - just an inch, for air - he smirked a little, wrapping an arm around the brunette’s waist and slipping a hand into Yosuke’s far hoodie pocket.

“You saw the statue, I take it? What did you think? I told you I’d sculpt you sometime… and I couldn’t get that day out of my mind, nor how you looked.”

Finding himself flushing - again - Yosuke turned his head to push his face against his lover’s shoulder. “You could have told me, you know.”

Souji chuckled, low in his throat, and  _god_ , Yosuke loved the sound. “But if I had, I wouldn’t have gotten that reaction.”

“Omg, you dork.” Yosuke swatted Souji’s shoulder, and the sculptor laughed. “I was just standing there like an idiot, going “herp derp who is this?” What if somebody had recognised me?”

“I wouldn’t have minded. I’m proud of you, you know?”

“Flatterer.” Yosuke knew by now that even though he was the writer, when it came to compliments and just downright  _cheese_ , Souji had him beat. When he didn’t continue, Souji raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t recognise it when you saw it?”

The brunette rolled his eyes. “Dude! I don’t stare at the back of my head in the mirror!”

They both laughed at this, and Souji sighed happily, rubbing his cheek against the side of Yosuke’s head before letting his lover go.

“Come on. Let’s go get dinner, and once the exhibit closes I can show you around. I think there’s quite a few pieces you haven’t seen, I just couldn’t risk you seeing my surprise.”

Yosuke’s stomach was growling by this point, and he agreed with a good will. Before Souji could open the door back into the exhibit, however, the brunette reached for his arm. Feeling his cheeks light up again, he gave his lover a small, embarrassed smile.

“Hey, Souji. You make me feel the same way, you know. Peaceful and happy and hopeful.”

A quick expression of surprise crossed Souji’s face, followed by a warm, gentle look of happiness. “Good.” The brunette felt a hand wrap around his, and Souji pulled him in for a short-but-sweet kiss. There were no more words, but they didn’t need them.


End file.
